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"Mexico is immersed in deep transformations. The country has opened to the world, liberalized its economy and moved to a more democratic system. There is an obvious need to understand the process. Dan Levy and Kate Bruhn's book is a well-balanced portrayal of Mexico's contemporary history, and of the role played by the United States. A must for those interested in understanding what is going on in Mexico."--Sergio Aguayo, author of Myths and (Mis)Perceptions: Changing U.S. Elite Visions of Mexico"A wonderful guide to the social, economic, and political changes in contemporary Mexico. It goes a long way to explaining the concurrent rise of narco-traffic, the victory of Fox, and the transformation of the Mexican economy in the 1990s. I learned a great deal from it."--Miguel Centeno, author of Democracy Within Reason: Technocratic Revolution in Mexico
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This engaging and cogently argued book provides a uniquely broad and accessible analysis of Mexico's contemporary struggle for democratic development. Linking Mexico's current state to Mexico-U.S. and other international considerations, Daniel C. Levy and Kathleen Bruhn, collaborating with Emilio Zebadúa, offer rich perspectives from both sides of the border. They examine the relationship between democratization and economic change in an internationalized setting. Linking events of recent years--including the most democratic presidential election in Mexican history and a peaceful change of party rule--to pivotal episodes of Mexico's past, the authors focus on politics but also consider critical historical and economic dimensions. Authoritarian rule in Mexico's past brought political stability and economic growth, but democracy has become central to reconstructing those historic achievements. Democracy is also important for Mexico to address tragically neglected aspects of development, especially inequality. Yet there are many obstacles to democratization, which in itself does not guarantee broadly based development. Both the challenges and the opportunities for Mexico are intertwined with the country's efforts to align itself with major world tendencies, and the line between U.S. and Mexican foreign and domestic policy continues to blur. Mexico: The Struggle for Democratic Development discusses a variety of issues ranging from electoral reform and accountability to drug trafficking and migration. With a foreword by Lorenzo Meyer, the book considers the rapidly changing role of Mexico's mass and elite groups, as well as institutions such as the media, the military, the Church, and influential U.S. institutions. An analysis of the consequences of NAFTA brings this stimulating and informative study up to the present moment.
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